Filipino fans will never forget how Xerxia ended up breaking their hearts when they avenged their upper bracket loss to Team Secret by scoring a 2-1 escape during their lower bracket finals rematch at the Valorant Champions Tour 2022: APAC Stage 2 Challengers.
“We were really happy because that game selected us for the rest of the international events this year, and it felt really good to be participating in Riot’s event although we were in such a tough position,” Team Xerxia told OKBet Esports in an exclusive interview.
“We knew we had a difficult road ahead of us because of the situation we were in; we had to move to three different locations during the tournament; we just had to do it.”
The group was referring to their initial tournament hiccup, a 2-1 loss to Team Secret of the Philippines, which sent them deep into the lower bracket.
Xerxia battled through two 2-1 thrillers before sweeping Onic Esports and arranging a revenge match against Team Secret in the lower bracket finals, which they won.
One of the memorable aspects of that match was a strong performance by former DOTA 2 player Jessie “JessieVash” Cristy Cuyco, whose achievements made life difficult for Xerxia throughout the series.
Watching Filipino team’s performance, Xerxia believes the country’s esport can only go up.
“I think there will definitely be stronger Philippine teams (in the future); I see a lot of potential in that region, and more contests within the country will produce stronger teams,” a member of the coaching staff stated.
After their impressive campaign in the APAC Stage 2 Challengers, Xerxia finally got their break. The team had to make major sacrifices before conquering the Valorant events in Thailand this year.
“One of the major obstacles the team had was cutting off personal time; we used to play the game casually, but getting professional about it cost us a lot of free time; we worked six to seven days a week without a break for almost two years in a row,” the team explained.
Members of the team transferred from other games to Valorant. They were merely trying out the new game at first, but they immediately discovered their spot and kept going with zeal.
The squad has one piece of advise for all Valorant competitors in the region:
“Play each game as if it’s your last; the outcome is unimportant, but the experience is”.
